A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
February 25, 2008
3. Watersheds
Part of Salton Sea's desolate shore made into a lush oasis; One woman created a wetlands
Restoring Valley fish run seen as likely; Reviving salmon may help solve other
ADOBE CREEK FISH HATCHERY:
Spawning obstacle; Casa fish hatchery founder says Adobe Road bridge blocks upstream swim - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
INVASIVE SPECIES:
Editorial: Reservoirs threatened; districts must be ready -
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Part of Salton Sea's desolate shore made into a lush oasis; One woman created a wetlands
By David Kelly, staff writer
THERMAL -- A few careless words, the snap of a branch and a scene of bucolic splendor became utter chaos.
Clouds of great blue herons exploded from trees and swaying cattails. Egrets erupted from watery redoubts. Ducks quacked furiously overhead.
Debi Livesay observed the frenzy from a windy bank.
"Wait a moment; they'll settle down," she said. "It's hard to sneak up on them."
Finally, the birds swung around in a tight circle and made splash landings in this patchwork of wetlands stretching out to the
Livesay, 59, seemed pleased by the performance, as if she'd choreographed the whole thing.
And in a way she had -- or at least helped set the stage. For decades this 85-acre stretch of the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation lay beneath the
Now, thanks to Livesay's seven-year effort to bring back water, it's a lush
And state officials -- who have their own $8.9-billion, 75-year plan to rescue the dying sea and restore bird habitats -- are eagerly watching what happens.
The Salton Sea,
But while the state's plan is still on the drawing board, Livesay's is up and running.
"This is the first microcosm of what all of the rest of the plans call for around the sea," said Dan Parks, coordinator for the Salton Sea Authority. "Scientists have an idea of what they need, but there is a lot of stuff they can't get out of a textbook so you need to get in there and experiment."
Livesay is no scientist. She's a former journalist with a gift for big ideas, a talent for securing grants and total self confidence.
As the
"We can't afford to have the
Working mostly on her own out of a converted trailer, Livesay won $2.3 million from state and federal agencies and began excavating seven ponds ranging from a few inches to 6 feet deep, and up to 20 acres wide.
Contractors built artificial islands and barriers between pools. Using a complex system of pipes and valves, they diverted water from the
Then, in 2005, the valves opened wide and water gushed into the ponds for good. Livesay released young tilapia, mosquito fish and mollies to control insects. She planted native palms.
Nature did the rest.
Willows and cottonwoods began to spring up. Herons nested on the islands. A bald eagle took up residence alongside numerous ospreys. Biologists say they wouldn't be surprised to find a California condor soon. They spotted one in nearby
Livesay expects to open her creation to the public in November under the name "
Tribal Chairman Ray Torres recently described the restored wetlands as a "magnificent sight." The tribe is building a cultural center and an amphitheater near the project's entrance on
"The state's
She called Livesay a "force of nature," adding, "Debi is a remarkable person who doesn't understand what impossible is. She saw what the tribe needed and she made it happen."
Livesay, who is not Native American, worked at the Whittier Daily News and the North County Times before quitting journalism because she said it was too difficult to be married, be a reporter and raise four children at the same time.
She picked up part-time jobs, working as a bartender, running construction crews and building houses.
"I can do anything I want to," she said matter-of-factly. "I can teach myself anything."
As her children got older Livesay began looking for a full-time career, something that satisfied her interest in science and the environment.
She took courses on water management, worked with wildlife biologists and landed a job with the Torres Martinez tribe in Thermal.
"This is where I am supposed to be," she said.
She often spends seven days a week at the remote wetlands site, and sometimes gets in dangerous standoffs with hunters.
Friendly but tough, Livesay fiercely guards the place.
She calls it "my baby" or "this puppy" and describes it as an egg she has "hatched."
At times she lapses into jargon about particulate matter and water chemistry that can baffle the uninitiated. Yet her overall message never changes.
"This is the future of the
For one thing, selenium, endemic in
If the wetlands water gets too salty the fish could die off. And hunters are a constant threat, illegally shooting anything that flies, including, on one occasion, a black swan.
Hunting is forbidden on the reservation and Livesay routinely confronts violators. She recently found six hunting platforms on the edge of the wetlands. Thousands of pelicans, ibises, herons, ducks and grebes floated within easy range of the platforms, which were camouflaged in palm fronds.
"One day I came out here and the whole berm was covered in dead coots. The hunters just wanted to kill them and then left them there," Livesay said, clearly angry. "These guys show up in their cammies, with their dogs and trucks, and think they can't be arrested on tribal land -- but now they are learning otherwise. I got three arrested."
Richard Gamez, who works at the site, has found 15 birds at a time killed by hunters. The lock on the gate has been broken four times.
"When I stop them, they tell me they have hunted here for years," he said. "There are signs up everywhere that say `No Hunting.' They tell me the game warden said they could hunt here."
Harry Morse, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game, said enforcing hunting regulations on tribal land is a "jurisdictional nightmare."
"We can't go on the land and make an arrest because we have no authority," he said. "But when they step off the reservation, we can do something."
So far, Livesay said, they haven't done much. She depends on local sheriff's deputies to go after violators.
"I want to open this place up to ecotourism, and you can't do that with firearms going off everywhere," she said.
The creation of the wetlands is significant for the Torres Martinez, a poor tribe whose 25,000-acre reservation includes 10,000 under the
The reservation is one of the most polluted in the West, largely because of illegal dumping. But recent efforts by the tribe and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have made a difference.
Twenty of the 27 illegal dumps have been cleaned up, and fires at dump sites have been reduced 75% in the last year, said Clancy Tenley, head of tribal programs for the EPA.
"We have developed a strong partnership with the tribe on environmental issues," he said. "Now they have the first wetlands reclamation program on the
The project stuns some tribal members.
"The first day I worked out here I was amazed," said Joe Tortes, who helps regulate pond levels. "It really took me by surprise. I had no idea this place was here."
Last week, Livesay boarded her "mule," an all-terrain vehicle, and motored down a dirt path along the water. It was cold and blustery. Snow squalls enveloped the
She cut the engine.
"Wait until you go around the corner," she said. "You have never seen anything like it."
A few feet away, birds were thick as mosquitoes. They floated in dark, choppy water and buzzed about like feathery missiles.
"You have birds here that shouldn't be here, birds from
"People come from all over the world to see this sight. There is no other place like it. And that's why we have to preserve it." #
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wetlands24feb24,1,1909989,full.story
Restoring Valley fish run seen as likely; Reviving salmon may help solve other
By Mark Grossi, staff writer
Restoration of long-dead salmon runs in the
Biologist Peter Moyle, a
It is the first time the conference has ever been in the
They said they were attracted to the Valley by an agreement between environmentalists and farmers in 2006 to restore the
Workshops are planned on environmental, biological and policy issues.
Moyle said the salmon revival might give a shot of fresh water to the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where the
The delta is a crossroads for more than half the state's water supply, but it is also a sensitive estuary with suffering fish species.
"The
The
Increased river flows are expected to begin next year. According to the agreement, salmon will be reintroduced into the river by 2012.
Federal funding for the project has not been secured yet, but Moyle said he is confident salmon runs can be revived.
"I wouldn't call salmon recovery a slam dunk," he said. "But the fish will respond to a living river."
Moyle is known in
He testified for six hours in one session, detailing how water pumping in the south delta harmed fish.
The judge later made a ruling that will likely slow the pumps this year and cause irrigation water cutbacks for farmers on the Valley's west side. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/418246.html
ADOBE CREEK FISH HATCHERY:
Spawning obstacle; Casa fish hatchery founder says
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 2/24/08
By Paul Payne, staff writer
Swimming upstream is hard enough for salmon and steelhead running
But a man-made obstacle -- a concrete bridge at
A 12-foot opening in the structure is jammed with rocks and sediment, forcing spawning fish to abandon the innate goal of reaching the deep ponds atop
Instead, they're laying eggs in shallow water closer to the
Furrer is calling on government agencies to replace the bridge with a wider span that will allow the creek to flow more naturally and spare the vanishing fish.
"Once this comes out, we're clear to the mountain," said Furrer, as he walked beneath the bridge Thursday in galoshes and a hard hat. "I can sit back and say, 'We've made a difference here.' "
But whether anyone will take on the project that could cost up to $600,000 is uncertain.
Dave Robertson, the county roads chief, said there are about 50 similar projects under way and not enough money to do them all. "The fact of the matter is we have other bridges in the county with higher prioritization," he said.
Pat Rutten of the National Marine Fisheries Service said fish are getting through despite problems created by the bridge.
He said coho salmon in the
"Steelhead are not in that situation," said Rutten, who heads restoration projects in the region for the federal agency.
Casa Grande students under Furrer have been working the past 25 years to conserve fish habitat on Adobe Creek, which had been run dry by city water diversions.
Starting in the early 1980s, the United Anglers of Casa Grande hauled truckloads of illegally dumped tires, refrigerators and other trash from 7½ miles of creek and planted thousands of trees along its banks.
Students raised money to build a campus fish hatchery that has since grown into a state-of-the-art facility featured in national magazines and TV documentaries.
About 10 years ago, Furrer's group built a fish ladder in the creek to help spawning fish clear the culvert. Boulders were strapped together with steel cables and a terrace system was installed in the channel.
But the effects of rushing water from winter storms have taken a toll. The narrow opening upstream clogs with boulders and wood and the fish ladder frequently fills with sediment, Furrer said.
Rocks are thrown downstream, ruining ponds that spawning fish need to use as they leap against the current, Furrer said. A wider bridge would solve the problem, he said.
With dwindling numbers of fish running the creek each year, the situation must be fixed before it's too late, Furrer said.
"I'm near retirement," said Furrer, 53. "I want this out of here before I go." #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080223/NEWS/802230311/1033/NEWS01
INVASIVE SPECIES:
Editorial: Reservoirs threatened; districts must be ready
A tiny invader has found its way into
The zebra mussel -- a freshwater mollusk about a half-inch long -- was found in late January in San Justo Reservoir south of Hollister.
"It's a significant potential impact to the state of
How significant? Zebras got to the
A single mussel can spawn 40,000 eggs. They turn into larvae that then become "villagers," which attach and congregate by the hundreds of thousands on any smooth structure, then begin to spawn. In the
They travel by boat. Larvae attach to hulls, fenders and lines and can live in half a cup of water -- so bait boxes and even small puddles can carry them. As anglers move from lake to lake, so do the mussels. They can live as long as five days out of water, but they don't like summer heat.
The lower
"Quagga and zebra mussels have the same impacts -- clogging water pipes, killing off the fishery by removing the phytoplankton," said Retallack, who said quagga often follow zebra into an environment. "When you get the mussels, the water gets really clear, but that lets sunlight to the bottom of the lake and vegetation grows, which causes oxygen deprivation. Then you get fish kills."
Both types of mussels also carry botulism, putting shorebirds and other wildlife at risk.
The most expensive damage is caused by their concentration on equipment, piers, pipes, pumps or anything smooth.
In the
East Bay Municipal Utilities District, which operates Camanche and Pardee reservoirs east of
This is not an overreaction. Fish & Game has trained 700 inspectors and has deployed five mussel-sniffing dogs with six more to join them soon. One will be assigned to
Pre-launch boat inspections are important, but so is education.
Neither mussel likes chlorine, so there is little threat to drinking water. Both types can be killed with high-pressure flows of at least 140 degrees. Still, the best defense is to keep the mussels out, meaning boaters and anglers must understand the risks and take precautions.
"Don't take a chance on losing your fishery," DFG's Retallack said. "You don't want to have it closed because you brought mussels in."
Carol Russell, director of Don Pedro Recreation Agency, is keenly aware of the threat. "I'm watching what is going on at San Luis and looking at it from an enforcement standpoint and what steps would be involved in ... keeping certain vessels out of the water."
To act, she needs direction from the reservoir's owners -- the
The Bureau of Reclamation partners with the state to operate San Luis Reservoir and runs New Melones on the
"Water districts will have to start implementing plans to prevent them from clogging their pipes," Retallack said. "The irrigation districts will have to look at something similar ... to keep water flowing to farmers."
The invaders are here; it's time to act. #
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/story/221149.html
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